Angle control for fish pole holders



July 14, 1953 w. M. GAUTHIER 2,645,439

ANGLE CONTROL FOR FISH POLE HOLDERS Filed Sept. 28, 1948 July 14, 1953w. M. GAUTHIER 2,645,439

ANGLE CONTROL FOR FISH POLE HOLDERS Filed Sept. 28, 1948 2 Shee ts-Sheet2 relation. of the pole Patented July 124, 1953 UNITE-o ls .i.'..'1'r.s,Vrn'rleivr OFFICE Y ANGLE CONTROL FOR FIsH POLE HOLDERS 'William M.`Gauthier, Brimley, Mich.

` Application september es, 194s, serial No. 51,536

8'Claims.

, 1 My invention relates to holders for elongated articles such as poleswhereby the article or pole is supported in proper angular relation`relative to a baseY and maintained so supported' without the use` ofclamps` or` the like.l The holder is particularly adapted to holding'iishing poles, flag staffs andthe like.

Devices such as these are very useful when one fisherman utilizes aplurality of poles at the. same time and is unable, therefore, tohavehishand on more than one of them ata time. Likewise, such holdersare very useful in a boat when the boat is being moved to and from thefishing grounds whereby to support the poles out' of the Y way oftheOarsrnan and at the Same timer in` a position safe against' beingknocked. overboard and lost.

`With the foregoingV in view, it is` an object of my invention toprovide an improvedspolestaii g or rod holder. .Y I

A further object `is to provide an improved holder which includesmeans'whereby the angular to a supportmaybe readily varied as desired.

A further object is to provide in a holder such y as thatlast-described, sensitive iingerl tip control means for adjusting theangle of the pole holder the following specication, wherein theinvention is shown, described and claimed.

In the drawing: s

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of theholder` according to the inventionshowingthe same applied to the seat of a boat;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the` holder of Fig. 1,

the boat seat being shown in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is` a fragmentary vertical sectional View through the boat seatshowing the holder according to the invention in `end elevationlookand/or the pole supported thereby relative tothe body of the holderand/or the support.,

A further object is to provide an improved iish pole holder wherein arelatively stationary portion of the holder hasmounted thereonfapair ofvertically spaced and laterally offset pivotproviding means upon one ofwhich is pivoted a movable fish pole holder and on the other of which isslidably and pivotally mounted means providing a wedge surface, saidlast namedmeans being engageable with the movable iish pole holder andadjusting the pivoted angle thereof 40 relative to thestationary portionof the holder upon sliding of the wedge-providing portion in Y oppositedirections.

A further object is to provide in a device such a C-clamp generallyindicated at I3 which comprises a lower leg I4 provided with a`threadedY vaperture for threaded reception therein of any as that lastdescribed, means for locking the slidable and pivotal wedge-providingmember inV a slidable and pivoting adjusted position.

Other objects `and advantages reside in the particular structure'oftheinvention, combination and arrangement ofthe several parts thereof,and/or in the particular method or mode of operation, all of which willbe readily understood by those skilled inl the art upon reference totheaccompanying `drawing in connection with 4-4 of Fig. 2;

ing from the right of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4. isa substantially horizontal sectional View taken substantiallyon theplane of the line Fig. 5 4is a horizontal; sectional lview takensubstantially on the plane of the line 5-5401" Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 isan elevational view on a slightly enlarged scale and infragment, similar to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in a slightly diierentposition; and

Fig. '7 Ais a view like Fig. 6 but showing the parts'in a still furtherposition.

Referringv specically to the drawing, wherein like reference charactershave been used throughout the several views` to designate `like parts,`

I0 designates generally any suitableboat such as a rowboat including agunwale II- and any suitable horizontally disposed seat I2;

The device according to the invention comprises suitable clamping VscrewI5.. The clamp includes an oppositely disposed leg I6` which ispreferably slightly longer than the leg I4 and formed with a pair 'oflongitudinally spaced 'threaded apertures I'I therethrough, `the purposeof which will be apparent later.

The legs I6 and I4' are connected together by j a web 20 which islikewise provided with a pair of longitudinally spaced threadedvapertures I8 therethrough. Suitable screwsv I9 are adapted to bethreadedly `engagedjin either the apertures of the ears around one ofthe apertures.

33 between the arms 23.

`the thumb screw 25 loose, kthe stem is freely rotatable on thecylindrical upper endl 2i or the stud, but the stem may be lockedagainst sliding andfpivotal movement relative to the stud by two polesat the same time when the same are being transported to and from thenshing ground, or the device may be positioned on either side of vtheboat with a single pole positionedon the outboard side of the deviceirrespective of which side of the boat the holder is mounted.

As aforesaid, the holder mounting plate 3i is pivoted on the pivot 30for vertical `pivotal movement. In all forms of fishing from a boat, itis frequently. desirable that the pole .extend from the boat at asuitable vertical angle.

Moreover,

it is frequently necessary during the actual fishn ing to vary the angleslightlyfrorn time to time tightening the thumb screw 25 in a well-knownmanner.

The upper end of the stem is flat and longitudinally split to provide apair of laterally spaced ears 23. Such ears are provided with a pair oflaterally aligned apertures therethrough and a boss 21 is formed on theouter surface Yof one Such boss 2l is `provided with an internallythreaded bore for threadedly receiving the threaded stem 23 of a thumbscrew 29, the head cf which bears against the outer surface of theopposite` ear 26. Thus, by tightening the thumb screw 29 the ears may beclamped together as desired. In this f connection, it should be Vnotedthat the thumb screw 29 may be dispensed with and the ears spanned byany suitable pin, as it willV be apand/or to move the pole up and downto impart movement to the bait. Toso control the angle 'of theholder-providing plate 3| I have provided an angle control plate V40having a straight upper edge 4| which slidably engages the straightunder edge 32 of the plate 3|. A portion of the under edge of thecontrol plate 40 is provided with an inclined edge 42 providing awedge'surface dening the upper edge of a wedge slot 6.3. Such wedgeslot-is best seen in Figs. 6 and 7 and is slide able and? pivotal onthepin 29. The lower end of the wedge slot is open, as shown, but the anglecontrol rplate 40 cannot escape from its position between theholder-providing plate 3l and the pin 29 because of the Yparticularspacing of the parts. Obviously, the closed upper end of the slotparentvsoon that'the clamping feature is auxpin 23, but it isto beunderstood that under cere Y tain circumstances the pin' 33 might bedown#- wardly of the pin 23.

It is, however, essential Vthat* the pin 23 and the pivot 33 bevertically spaced and laterally off? set for proper functioning of theparts.

A nat pole holder 3l Vis pivoted on the pivot plate-likematerial andsubstantially U #shaped in elevation. A central portion of the underedge thereof is straight as at 32 as best seen in Figs. 5 and 7, for apurpose to be described later.

A pair of substantially identical pole holders 33 and 34 are'xed to theupper free'ends of the plate 3| in any suitable manner as by beingwelded thereto. Each of the pole holders 33 and 34 is identical exceptthat one is inverted relative to the other. Y v

Each holder 33 or 34 includes a bifurcated stem 33 straddling a free endof the holding plate 3|, and each stem 35 is closed at one end toprovide a blight and the opposite ends yare diverged to form a pair oflaterally oppositely directed hooks 33 for engaging a sh pole.

In the case of the rear pole holder 33, the hooks 36 are downwardlydirected, while the hooks 36,

of the forward holder 34 are upwardly directed. Thus, the holderaccording to the invention supports the under side of a pole bytheupwardly directed forward hooks 33, whilethe downwardly directed rearhooks 33 rest atop the rear portion or butt of the pole to prevent samefrom being dislodged in an upward direction upon a pullof the sh uponthe sh line in a well-known manner.

By providing a pair of hooks 36 on each holder 33 or 34, the device isenabled to receive either The holder 3| is of.

extend forwardly and rearwardly respectively of the ears 26 to provideing the device. Y

As noted before, the angle control plate 4i! is slidable and pivotableon the pin23. At the same time, the flat upper edge'lll is in constantengage,d

finger grips for manipulat- Ament with the flatunder edge 32 of theholder 3|, while the wedge surface 42 is in constant engagement vwiththe 'pin 29. Thus, when the rear finger-grip 45 is engaged and thecontrol plate 43 is pressed forwardly from the Fig. 'tto the Fig. 6V`position, the weight ofthe fish pole 5l?y loads the holder 3| forpivotal movement in a clockwise direction, Figs. 1, 2, 6- and '7. t

At the same time, by reason of the fact that the pin 23 is vapproachingthe upper end of the slot Y 43, the control plate 45 is permitted topivot in a clockwise 'direction likewise. However, as soon as forwardlpressure is released on thecontrol plate 45 the clockwise movement of-the parts will cease and the holder 3| will be maintained in thedesired angular position by virtue of 'the' lateral offsetting of thepivot 30 and the pin 29.

In reverse, when the forward end 34 of the Acontrol plate 40 is engagedby a linger and the plate forced rearwardly, the wedge surface ridesupwardly to elevate the control plate 43 and cause the same to sliderearwardly andat the same time pivot `in a counterclockwise directionVthe control plate will prevent further movement of Vthe lparts andmaintain the holder 3| in the selected angular position.

It is important'to note in this connection, that the pin 29 `as solfar`described need not be a thumb screw as shown. This is because the oifsetposition ofthe pivot and pinis suicient to maintain the holder `3I in aproperly adjusted position without it being necessary to clamp the Years26 together onto the control plate 40.

However, it is desirable to form the Fin'29 in thefoim of a thumbscrewsothat when the pole 50 `is not being used iorshing, as when the boat isbeing moved tof'and from theishing grounds, and/or in the case of aninexperienced fisherman who is quite likely to get the holder 3| at anincorrect angle, the thumb screw 29 is tightened so as to clamp the earsEil-into clamping engagement with the control plate 4U and prestemproviding Aa pair of laterally spaced ilexivent accidental orintentionallongitudinal movementof the same whereby to vary the angle of the holder3|. 1

Thus,4 it is useful tofliave the pin 29 in the form of a clamping thumbscrew, but it is not necessaryfor the proper operation of the parts.

While I` have shown a particular C-clamp, stud 2| and stem mounting theparts, it is to be understood that the same may be changed as thesedevices are well-known and there are a wide Variety of equivalentstructures. Likewise, it is to be understood that the particularmounting for the control plate 4|] may be varied from the precisestructure shown and described. 1 Also, although the holder of theinvention has been shown as a fishing pole holder, it'is obvious thatthe same is equally useful for holding flag staffs, rods or Vany otherelongated articles. Moreover, the angle adjusting means may be utilizedwherever a support is pivotally connected to a base `for angularadjustment relative thereto and is not limited to any specificV support,pivot or base. Thus, while I have shown and described what is nowthought to be a preferred embodiment and use of the invention, it is tobe understood that the same is susceptible of other forms, expressionsYand uses. Consequently, I do not limit myself to the precise structureand use shown and described'hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed.

Iclaim:

l. A iish pole holdercomprising a bifurcated stem providing a pair oflaterally spaced flexible ears, a pin connecting said ears, a pivotconnecting said ears in vertically spaced laterally offset relation tosaid pin, a yoke including a web pivoted on said pivot between saidears, said yoke including fish pole holding means, a pole angle controlplate between said ears between said web and said pin, said plate beingformed ible ears, a pin connecting said ears, a :pivot connecting saidears in vertically spaced laterally oiset relation to said pin, a yokeincluding a ,web

pivoted on said pivot between said ears, said yoke including oppositelydirected front and rear arms including free ends, a pair ofsubstantially identical pole holders each including a pair of laterallyoppositely disposed pole-engaging hooks and bifurcated stems straddlingsaid free ends of said arms, said hooks on said front arm being upwardlydirected, and said hooks on said rear arm ble ears, a pin connectingsaid ears, a pivot connecting said ears in vertically spaced laterallyoisetrelation to said pin, a yoke including a web pivoted on said pivotbetween said ears, said yoke including sh pole holding means, a poleangle control plate. between said ears between said web and said pin,said plate being formed with a forwardlyv and diagonally downwardlydirected cam slot including a closed upper end andan'open lower end,said slot slidably and pivotally mounting said plate on said pin, saidplate and yoke including slidably abutting straight edges, said platecomprising means maintaining said yoke y against pivotal movement, saidplate being operative upon sliding movement on said pin in oppositedirections to tiltably adjust said yoke in oppoo site directions, saidplate having front and rear ends extending respectively forwardly andrearwardly of said ears to provide finger grips, said pivot beingupwardly of said Lpin, and said abutting straight edges of said plateand web comprising a lower edge of said Web and an upper edge of saidplate.

4. In a device of the class described a base, a support, a Support pivotwhich pivotally secures said support to said base,-a 4wedge action mem--ber carriedby said base and engaging said support to hold the latter ina selected tilted position relatively of said base, cooperating pivotand cam-way means provided by said wedge action member and base andmounting said wedge action member for both sliding and pivotal movementrelatively of said support pivot, .the last mentioned pivot means beingdisposed in subjacent offset parallelism with respect to the axis ofsaid support pivot, a lineal portion of said wedge action member makingconstantcontact with a lineal portion of said support, said camway meansextending lineally of said contacting portions of the wedge actionmember and support, whereby said wedge action member is operable uponsliding movement in opposite directions to tilt and to tiltsaid 1supportin corresponding directions, and said wedge action member includingmeans limiting the sliding movement thereof in both directions.

5. A iish pole holder comprising a bifurcated stem providing a pair oflaterally spaced ilexible ears, a pin connecting said ears, a pivotconnecting said ears in vertically spaced laterally offset relation tosaid pin, a yoke including a` web pivoted on said pivot between saidears, said yoke including fish pole holding means, a pole angle controlplate between said ears between saidv web and said pin, said plate beingformed with a cam slot slidable and pivotable on said pin, said plateand yoke including slidably abutting straight edges, said platecomprising means maintaining said yoke against pivotal movement, saidplate being operative upon sliding movement on said pin in oppositedirections to tiltably adjust said yoke in opposite directions, saidpivot being upwardly of said pin, and said abutting straight edges ofsaid plate and web comprising a lower edge of said web, and an upperedge of said plate.

6. In a sh pole holder having a support including pivot means mountingsaid holder forV tilting movement relatively of said support, awedge-providing member carried by said support and having a lineal edgeportion making constant engagement with a lineal edge portion oi saidholder, pivot-incorporating means mounting said wedge-providing memberfor sliding and pivotal movement, the pivot of said pivot incorporatingmeans being disposed in subjacent offset parallelism to the axis of theholder-mounting pivot means, and said wedge-providing member beingoperable upon sliding movement in opposite directions to tilt itself andtilt said holder incorresponding directions. a

7. The combination set forth in claim 6, and

' support carried means acting upon said wedgeproviding member to retainthe latter in a fixed position.

8. The combination set forth in claim 6, and support carried meansacting upon said wedgeprcviding member to retain the latter in a xedposition, and said wedgeeproviding member having at least one exposednger piece providing terminal.

WILLIAMM. GAUTHIER.

References cited in the fue of this patent UNITEDl STATES PATENTS NumberName Date v473,073 Lemaire 1 Apr. 19, 1892 617,342 Kurz Jan. 10, 18992,301,885 Laehr Nov. 10, 1942 2,454,458 Kaetker Nov. 23, 1943 FOREIGNPATENTS y Number Country l Date V518,237 Germany Feb. 13, 1931 France of11925

